Net-booting has been here in Puppy Linux since version 2.16, so you might as well try it in a few steps:

1. Get TFTP for Windows from here. Unzip to an appropriate location in a Windows PC in your LAN. (It will have a directory /pxe.)

2. Download initrd-humongous-2.16.1-93952k.gz from ibiblio or its mirrors (see http://puppylinux.net/download/downpage.htm ). Rename to initrd.gz and put in the /pxe directory (see #1).* [EDIT - as of June 11, 2008, this file is no longer in the Puppy repositories. See Barry's instructions in creating a humongous initrd below.]

4. Connect to the LAN a client PC, set it to boot from PXE/network, and restart it.

4.a Puppy will look for the zdrv_216.sfs file*, so plug in a USB drive (with zrdv) while net-booting, or first make sure that zdrv is in the hard disk. You can use a save file and extra sfs, just like locally-booted Puppy.

* The available initrd-humongous-2.16.1-93952k.gz has no zdrv_216.sfs in it. To roll your own initrd, see the reproduction of Barry's news page below (quoted).

Notes: Thanks to Philippe Jounin for TFTPD and Mark Hinge for the how to, Steven Shiau for net-booting help, and Barry Kauler for everything.

- Windows is used as server for simple deployment. Even Win98SE should work (98SE has Internet Connection Sharing, so it can function as the router, too).

- The client PC should have more than 128 MB RAM (256 MB RAM is recommended).

- The Windows PC (server) should have a fast ethernet card (this is generally valid in WinXP PCs).

- Net-booting of Puppy Linux works given certain changes in Puppy's init (in initrd.gz). Versions before and after 2.16 are not known to be ready for net-booting.
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Barry's news page about creating humongous initrd.gz:

If you want to build your own humongous initrd, it is very easy. Just download 'puppy-unleashed-core-2.16.1.tar.gz' and expand it inside a ext2/ext3/reiserfs hd partition:
# tar -zxf puppy-unleashed-core-2.16.1.tar.gz

You will then have a directory 'puppy-unleashed', inside you will find 'boot' directory, and inside that 'initrd-tree' directory.

Mount the 2.16.1 live-CD, or use Isomaster to open up the 'puppy-2.16.1-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso' and copy 'pup_216.sfs' and 'zdrv_216.sfs' into puppy-unleashed/boot/initrd-tree.

Open a terminal window in puppy-unleashed/boot and execute:
# ./makeext2initrd

That's it, you will have created a humongous initrd.gz!

Note, initrd-tree/init is a script but it is not used and gets removed by the makeext2initrd script -- that one is for an initramfs. The bootup script that is used is sbin/init and that's where all the tweaking will occur.

BarryK
Thursday, May 24, 2007, 08:20 PM
If you download the PET packages into 'packages' directory and follow instructions in the README, you can build a humongous initrd, that is a 'zdrv_216.sfs' with a cutdown set of drivers, or a 'pup_216.sfs' with a cutdown set of drivers built-in (no zdrv file). This could be used to reduce the size of the humongous initrd.

Raffy
Thursday, May 24, 2007, 08:53 PM
Thanks, Barry, this is a fun way to get started with "unleashed" - building one's unique Puppy.

Addition: ramdisk_size is set in pxelinux.cfg/default. Get the number by multiplying the size in MB of initrd by 1,048 = ramdisk_size in KB, which should be adequate for PXE-booting. Experiment with less size by reducing it then rerun PXE-booting.

To immediately test net-booting for your PC (no dual-cores please), try this:
http://minipc.org/pxe/
That is based on Breeezy (Puppy 2.13), the ALSA (audio) of which has been updated to work with the eee 701/900.

EDIT - There is no humongous initrd for 3.01, but see farther down for netbooting initrd.gz for 4.1.2._________________Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? Get the sfs (English only).Last edited by raffy on Sat 17 Jan 2009, 04:32; edited 1 time in total

EDIT: * Did you specify the ramdisk_size? If errors persist, you can use the frugal method to boot this in virtual machine. If you get problems with DOS file names, shorten the names vmlinuz and initrd.gz to 8.3 format (these default names are OK)._________________Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? Get the sfs (English only).

I built a humongus initrd.gz with Unleashed 4.1.1 and it works. I'm posting this from a client which booted into Puppy with PXE-Network Boot. So the problem is really related to Unleashed 4.1.2.

I had to disable the DHCP-Server of my router in order to do the network boot. Later I had to set back the Gateway and DNS address to the router IP address, as it automatically gets set to the IP address of the TFTP-Server.

I was able to successfully build (and boot) a humongous initrd for puppy 4.1.1, and am uploading it right now onto your ftp share into the "humongous411" folder.

I haven't been able to build one for 4.1.2 though. i gave it a try following MagicZaurus's instructions but didnt work. MagicZaurus, maybe you can share your 4.1.2 initrd by uploading it to raffy's ftp share?

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